The Gordon Utz Foundation

The Stratford High School community has rallied to aid former Stratford teacher Gordon Utz, who recently was paralyzed from the neck down following a fall.

Utz retired from Stratford, 14555 Fern, in May 2007, after teaching there since it opened in 1974.

"(Utz) has given nothing but 100 percent to this community," said David Higgins, a former Stratford student who has set up a foundation for Utz.

"He is the most selfless person I have never known. He has given everything, and there is no reason he should want or need for anything in this time of need."

Higgins said the funds will be used to pay for those things insurance does not cover. Anything left over will go towards an endowment for Stratford students, a stipulation made by Utz.

Utz, 62, had just finished teaching a dual credit U.S. history class March 26 at Spring Woods High School, 2045 Gessner, and was leaving the temporary classroom when he fell. Utz, who was using a walker, fell backwards on a ramp, according to Spring Woods Principal Wayne Schaper Jr., who rushed to the scene.

Utz sustained a broken vertebra in his neck and has been classified as a quadriplegic. He is now undergoing rehabilitation at a center in The Woodlands.

Word of mouth

As news spread about the accident, an outpouring of sympathy and offers to help from former students in Houston and beyond, including some serving in Iraq, began to pour in, Higgins said.

Since retiring from Stratford, Utz was teaching part time at Spring Woods through Houston Community College Northwest, 1010 W. Sam Houston Parkway N.

It was at Stratford, however, where Utz made his mark as a committed and caring teacher. As well as teaching U.S. history, Utz was a permanent fixture with the football program, filming games and practices for review.

He started a mentoring group for football players, of which Higgins was a member, and has built a 20-year tradition of cooking lunch each Sunday for players and parents.

He also cooked chicken and dumplings each year for his history classes.

"He was very dedicated in the classroom and on the football field," said Robert "Danny" Gex, 10th grade principal at Stratford and a former student of Utz.

Much loved

Utz opened his home to Higgins 12 years ago to enable him to stay at Stratford rather than switch schools when his mother moved to Katy, and before that Michael Lyon, who was a homeless freshman attending Stratford.

"Through Mr. Utz, I went from being a misfit youngster to an upstanding adult," said Higgins, who on Utz' urging is finishing his degree at the University of Houston.

Talking from Dayton, Ohio, Lyon said Utz gave him an opportunity to live a normal life through high school. Lyon said Utz is a big part of his family, and his children call him papa.

"He did so much for everybody," Lyon said. "He made me want to end the day. He could use help now to make sure he is not alone."

Gex had a similar story about Utz' selflessness and commitment to his students.

"I first met him one Saturday, when he came to pick my brother up with a bunch of other guys and took them to Galveston for the day," Gex said.

Gex became close to Utz first as a student at Stratford in the early 1980s and later when Gex returned to teach and coach football there in the early 1990s.

"He formed so many relationships," said Gex, adding that Utz referred to him as his third son. "He was at every practice and football game. It's why so many people love him.

Gex said in recent years Utz used an electric scooter to move up and down the sidelines at Stratford football games because of trouble with his knees, but he remained a spirited supporter.

Both Gex and Higgins reported that Utz is doing as well as can be expected.

"He has that true fighting Spartan spirit," Gex said. "I hope that will be beneficial for him."

To make a donation, send checks made out to The Gordon Utz Foundation to The Gordon Utz Foundation, 754 Thicket Lane Houston, TX 77079, or visit utzfoundation.org.